ROCHDALE residents can now have their say and help shape the future of Rochdale Infirmary over the next three months.

As part of a planned North West hospital shake-up, regional health chiefs want to scrap maternity, children's and neo-natal services at the Infirmary, as well as treatment for seriously ill accident and emergency patients.

Over 12,000 people opposing the cuts have signed the Observer's Hands Off Our Hospital campaign to keep services local.

A three-month consultation period was launched last Thursday and to judge the mood of the people of Rochdale, we sent reporter Beatriz Ayala onto the streets to find out.

Jane Metcalfe, aged 51, a teacher from Bamford, said she was determined to tell health chiefs exactly what she felt.

She said: "These services should remain local as people's lives are in danger otherwise.

"FortunateIy, I don't use the hospital very often, but want the services there should I need them and I'll be writing in."

Full-time mother Miriam Hussein, aged 20, of Newbold, said she had signed the Observer's petition and was worried about the loss of the children's unit and maternity services.

She said: "My son Safine is a year old, I had him at Rochdale Infirmary and I would want the services there in case I got pregnant again."

New parents Christopher Dowling, aged 23, and 19-year-old Leanne Howarth from Kirkholt said travelling to hospitals in Oldham or Bury would be too far.

And the couple, whose daughter Abigail was born two weeks ago at the Infirmary, said a lot of people might not be able to afford the return taxi fare to an out-of-town hospital.

Mona Hamill, aged 74, and her 75-year-old husband Hugh of Queensway, said Rochdale residents deserved to have a full set of services at the Infirmary. She said: "My family has used the Infirmary and still do and I can't imagine the hospital without all the services that are there now.

"They should stay local and the health bosses should leave them where they are."

Armand Catz, aged 50, and administration manager from Queensway, said moving services out of Rochdale was not fair and was a poor deal for Rochdale residents.

Elizabeth Turner, aged 55, from Healey, said everyone she met was against services being moved out of town.

The personnel assistant said: "A friend of mine has to go to the hospital regularly with a chronic ailment and is worried what will happen to accident and emergency.

"People don't mind travelling out for specialist treatment and planned operations, but it's the other, everyday stuff like maternity that they want to keep."

Mother-of-two Wajida Tabassum, aged 25, of Entwisle Road, and 24-year-old brother Safraz Khan, a warehouse worker, felt a lot of Rochdale residents did not realise the consultation had started.

Mrs Tabassum said: "I had to take my sons to see the dentist in Bury and that was hard enough, so services should stay the way they are."

Mr Dickinson said: "Cutting services is just stupid and ridiculous. Why build a hospital like the Infirmary only to close some of its services down? How can the closures be of benefit to local people?"

Sally Brook of Norden, said she felt the decision to scrap hospital services had already been made. The 42-year-old mother-of-four said: "They shouldn't do it, but I think it has already been signed and we don't stand a chance.

"We've managed to hold off similar decisions in the past, but I don't think we can stop this now."

Social worker Carrie Miles, 37, of Bamford, gave birth to two-week-old Lola at the Infirmary and said health chiefs were not thinking of the bigger picture.

Mrs Miles, who also has two sons, said: "The health bosses are being financially shortsighted and it would not surprise me if in five years' time they re-opened the services they are planning to cut."